IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? Canada conducted its 26th Express Entry draw of 2016 Friday, issuing 1,936 invitations to apply. The lowest qualifying score was 497.

What does the change mean? More candidates were invited to apply for permanent residency than in all but two other draws this year.

  • Implementation time frame: Ongoing.
  • Visas/permits affected: Permanent residency through Express Entry.
  • Who is affected: Canadian companies sponsoring foreign nationals through one of four skilled migration programs: Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, Canadian Experience Class and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program.

Background: In 2015, Canada issued 31,063 invitations to apply through Express Entry. Officials projected a greater number for 2016, and have issued 30,904 so far this year.

Express Entry Draws in 2016:

Date Invitations Score Date Invitations Score
Jan. 6 1,463 461 June 29 773 482
Jan. 13 1,518 453 July 13 747 482
Jan. 27 1,468 457 July 27 755 488
Feb. 10 1,505 459 Aug. 10 754 490
Feb. 24 1,484 453 Aug. 24 750 538
March 9 1,013 473 Sept. 7 1,000 491
March 23 1,014 470 Sept. 21 1,288 483
April 6 954 470 Oct. 12 1,518 484
April 20 1,018 468 Oct. 19 1,804 475
May 6 799 534 Nov. 2 2,080 472
May 18 763 484 Nov. 16 2,427 470
June 1 762 483 Nov. 30 559 (PNP nominees only) 786
June 15 752 488 Dec. 16 1,936 497

Friday’s draw was the second since Canada announced it was switching to a new scoring system for its Express Entry program. In the last draw, however, officials limited invitations to apply to provincial nominees only. In that draw, a total of 559 invitations to apply were issued, with a minimum qualifying score of 786 points. The new scoring system is designed to benefit candidates who hold an employer-specific work permit without a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) approval if they have at least one year of experience with that employer, as well as graduates of Canadian post-secondary educational institutions.

BAL Analysis: The changes to the ranking system in Express Entry are expected to broaden the pool of candidates and lower the minimum score required to obtain an invitation to apply for permanent residency. BAL will continue to follow Express Entry draws this year and into the new year to determine how the changes are affecting Express Entry selections and minimum scores in the long term.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

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